Consequences
by Graviluvr
Summary: Maiko is in trouble and Shuichi is the only one that can help her. Can he do it? Or will he have to turn to someone he never expected? Eiri/Shuichi
1. Consequences

A/N: I'm not from Japan, so I'm not entirely sure if my snow, forest, train routes, and such bits are correct. Please bear with me on this though. I needed them for my storyline. Let's just say that in my intricate Gravitation Tokyo/Kyoto world, it's correct.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gravitation. There is no monetary gain from this. I just want to play with the characters for a bit.

Warnings: Foul language and I'm very slow at updates.

Pairing: Eiri/Shuichi

Genre: Paranormal romance, alternate universe, and suspense

Rating: Teen 16+ (for now)

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Shuichi Shindou stood in line at the train station not knowing exactly where he needed to go. All he knew was that his innocent little sister, Maiko, was in trouble. Shuichi had to find what they wanted or else both he and his sister would be killed.

Swaying nervously back and forth, he waited for that daunting call from the raspy yet scary voice that would give him commands on his next move. The same voice of the man that had his sister. Looking around timidly, he flinched as his bright pink cell phone began chiming the acoustic version of his band's hit-song, Rage Beat. The person standing behind him scoffed and muttered a curse word that his own mother would blush at. He looked back and gave a sheepish smile.

_Get a hold of yourself, Shuichi. You can do this. _

Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, he answered his phone. "Hai, I-I'm listening."

"You're to go to Kyoto. When you get there, go to Uji and find the *Byodo-in Temple. Your little bitch will be fine if you don't disappoint. We'll keep in touch." _Click_

Shuichi wanted to cry. He was alone, nervous, defeated, and just plain afraid. Tears began to form in his eyes, but he refused to let them fall.

_What the hell has Maiko gotten herself into?_

He wished he could ask for help. Police, friends, his strangely powerful boss, anything! But they threatened to kill his sister if he did. No, he was alone in this. He wouldn't risk it. He had to pull through for her.

_Stop being weak, Shuichi! You have to stay strong for Maiko. For yourself! _

He pocketed his cell phone and waited to buy his ticket.

"NEXT!"

Shuichi jumped at the employee's yell. _Oh, damn it! I'm already on edge. Why must she scream?_ Slowly, he approached the window. "Uhh, *youth ticket to Kyoto, please."

"Is that a one way, sir? Or round-trip."

"One way."

"Okay, that'll be *12,710 yen."

Quickly paying for his ticket, he yanked it from her hand and ran for his train. It wasn't leaving for another twenty minutes, but he had to get inside and sit down. He just didn't feel safe outside, out in the open. He constantly felt like he was being watched. And honestly, he didn't think he'd feel safe on the train either, but he needed relief. Some type of semblance so he could feel protected. For now.

-x-

Once the boy boarded the train, a man in dark jeans and T-shirt with a long black leather jacket pulled out his cell phone. He dialed his boss's number to update on Shuichi's whereabouts.

"Did you find the boy?"

"Yeah boss, he just got on a train. It's going to Kyoto."

"Good, get a ticket and board the train. Now, I need you to listen carefully."

"What are my instructions, sir?"

"Wait exactly one hour after the train moves. When that hour is up, I want you to give our boy a warning. Do what you will. Scare him, beat him, rape him, whatever. But I need you to roughen him up. Just don't kill him. We still need him in this. Tell him to stop searching for what they want or else he's dead. When you're done giving that warning, I want you to throw him off the train."

He may be what others would call, 'The Bad Guy,' but he could never tolerate torture or, well, throwing someone off of a train! He wanted to refuse and tell his ass-hole of a boss to fuck off, but he knew he couldn't. "Throw him off, sir?"

"Don't question me, Akio."

"But sir,-"

"He'll be fine! Why do you think I want you to wait an hour? There will be a little town five miles north from where you throw him off. The forest and snow is just an added bonus. He'll find his way."

"What if he freezes to death?"

"Are you questioning me again!?"

"No, boss. Exactly one hour. Got it."

"Good boy."

Letting out a heavy sigh, he pocketed his cell and went to purchase his ticket. "May all that is holy have mercy on you, kid. Sadly, I can't give you any."

-x-

*Byodo-in Temple - 900 year old Buddhist place of worship at Uji in Kyoto, Japan.

*Youth – In Japan, youth is ages 12-25.

*12,710 yen – Approximately 133 U.S. Dollars.

It's extremely short, I know. Thankfully, I have the next part in mind… I just have to type it out. After that, I don't know where I'm going with the story, but I'll figure something out. Please review? I really would love to know if the short beginning interests you.

Also, this may be a question from a lot of you. So, I'll just say it. No, Shuichi and Yuki have not met yet.

Oh, and Shuichi is 20 years old.


	2. Threats

A/N: Nada. Just enjoy.

Disclaimer: If I owned Gravitation, the manga would be rated NC-17/M/R/xXx. Clearly, I don't own it. =(

Warnings: Foul language, slightly graphic beating, and very slow updates.

Pairing: Eiri/Shuichi

Genre: Paranormal romance, alternate universe, and suspense

Rating: Teen 16+ (for now)

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Shuichi wanted to fall asleep, but was too jittery to do so. The train had already been moving for 45 minutes but that had felt like hours to him. He had to form a plan to save his sister and himself. And maybe even kill the bastard that threatened them. He may be small and a little frightened, but nobody threatened his baby sister and got away with it. He was The Shuichi Shindou, damn it! The top singing vocalist, most popular singer, number one band in all of Japan and many other countries! This guy messed with the wrong person!

Of course, reality hit him like a dump truck and all that faux anger and toughness was thrown out the proverbial window. Who was he kidding? He couldn't kill anybody. He couldn't make a plan. He couldn't even shake off the nervousness going through his body at that moment. He was pathetic and he knew it. And what was worse was he was on the brink of losing it. He finally let the tears fall.

_Damn it, Maiko. Just hang in there. I'll find you. I'll figure something out._

If only she could hear those words and put faith in him. If only he could hear her voice again. The first time he did was what really frightened him.

He'd just gotten up and was preparing for his day when he received a phone call from his sister. He happily answered; excited for the news he had for her. Bad Luck had just been nominated for Album and Band of the year and some other awards that wasn't as important. He knew without a doubt that it was in the bag! But what he didn't expect was the sniffling and terrified voice of his sister on the other end of the line. Right then, he knew this wasn't some kind of joke.

"S-shuichi… y-y-you have… ahhh-" He heard some scuffling and a loud slap. His face went red in anger. That didn't sound like applause… that sounded like a strike on his sister. Then he heard uncontrollable sobbing from what could only be Maiko. He began to shake and waited. A man came on the line then…

"Listen up, punk. I have your precious sister here. See, she failed to do what I asked. I don't like it when people don't follow my orders and that puts me in a tough situation. Now, she's made it your problem. If you don't do as I say, well, let me just tell you, you won't like what'll happen to her. I have some very greedy and needy men with me and they're just begging for a good time-"

"Don't you dare touch her, you disgusting-"

"Getting bold are we? Considering the situation, I'll let that go. But don't interrupt me again or Maiko will regret you did. Where were we? Ah, yes, aside from the torture your sister will receive if you don't follow through, I'll have my men hunt you down and kill you cold blood. Well, I guess I can give them permission to have a little fun with you first. No harm in that for them. I'm sure they'd enjoy it. Oh, *Shu-chan, how are your parents by the way? And your friend, Hiro? Are they doing well?"

Shuichi fell to his knees and cried. "P-please, leave them out of this. You already have me and my sister. Just tell me what you want."

"Ah, there is nothing more bittersweet than the sound of fear from a person's lips. I'm getting a hard-on just listening to you."

"Please, stop. Just tell me what you want. Just, please, don't hurt her and leave my family and friends out of this."

There was a long pause and Shuichi was terrified that the stranger had possibly hung-up on him. He cringed when he heard malevolent laughter.

"Reduced to begging, huh? Oh, how I love this. Very well, there is a package waiting for you at the post office. Take that package to the nearest train station and set it by the red pay phone near the men's restroom. When that's done, get in line to buy a ticket. We'll keep in-"

"WAIT! Let me-"

"Oh, Shindou, interrupting me again? Bad move on your part."

"Just let me talk to my sister, please. I need to know she's okay."

There was a long pause again, but this time, thankfully, no laughter.

"S-shuichi?"

"Maiko! Are you alright? Have they touched you? Are you hurt?"

"No, just a few slaps, but I'm fine. Big brother, you can't get what they want-"

"Alright, that's enough! You heard her voice. Are you going to do as I say or not, Shindou?"

He was about to say yes, but he heard Maiko shouting in the background.

"DON'T DO IT, SHUICHI! HE CAN NEVER GET THAT KEY! NEVER! LISTEN TO ME! LET ME DIE HERE-"

He heard her scream again and men shouting. It sounded like the phone dropped but he could still hear her screams.

"PLEASE, STOP! LEAVE HER ALONE! I'LL DO WHATEVER YOU SAY! JUST, STOP, PLEASE, STOP!"

The screaming ended. _Oh, no. Was she dead?_ _Why Maiko? Why'd you have to be stupid and do that?! Oh, what am I going to do?_ He heard her start sobbing again and let out a sigh of relief. _She's alive. I can still help her._

"Good choice, Shindou. Keep in mind; she dies if you go to the police… or anyone for that matter. We'll keep in touch." _Click_

Tears still falling, Shuichi shut that memory away. He took the package where it needed to go; now he was on his way to Kyoto. What they wanted him to do there he didn't know. He only hoped that it was the last thing they forced him to do. He wanted his sister and he wanted to go home.

He closed his eyes again and tried desperately to sleep. He just wished to forget everything for a little while and hoped sleep would help. It wasn't working.

"Excuse me, sir?"

Shuichi glanced up and saw a tall man in dark clothes with a clip board. The conductor, perhaps? But don't conductors usually where some sort of conductor suit?

"Yes?"

"Sorry to bother you, but there seems to have been a problem with your ticket. You're going to have to come with me."

"My ticket? But,-"

"Please, sir. Would you come with me?"

Sighing, he reluctantly got up to follow. _What the heck could possibly be wrong with my ticket?_

The conductor led him to the empty *caboose. It looked like a place of storage.

Turning to the train employee; he wondered what was wrong. He paid in full for this trip. There should be no mix-up. Before he could ask, he felt something slash across his face. He tasted blood as his eye and cheek began to throb in pain. Covering his face with his hand, he felt the warm blood from his wound pouring between his fingers.

Before he could even react to what had happened he felt a blow on the other side of his face and fell to his knees. Finally realizing that this guy obviously wasn't the conductor and was going to kill him, he jumped to his feet and ran.

He didn't get far before the man tackled him to the ground and cuffed his hands behind his back. Fearing for his life, he struggled, kicked and screamed but to no avail. The guy was just too overpowering.

Akio pulled the boy up and threw him face first into the wall. A broken nose was his aim, even though he hated himself for what he was doing. He did it again and the boy screamed in pain.

"Stop! I'm doing what you said! I'm going to Kyoto!"

Shuichi quickly head butted the guy before he could smash him into the wall again. He could feel the blood pouring from his nose and the cut across his cheek. The man staggered back and Shuichi made a run for it again. The man was quicker. The next blow threw Shuichi off his feet and sent him skittering across the floor. Dazed from the hit, Shuichi tried to refocus. He felt a blow on his stomach and was thrown back another few feet. The man began kicking him. Once, twice, three times. He was going to die. He knew it.

The fourth kick was to his face. Shuichi could have sworn he felt a few of his teeth being knocked out. He cried out in agony.

The beating finally ceased and he wondered when the guy would finish him. He looked up through swollen eyes and saw the man just standing there, looking down at him. Shuichi tried desperately, but he couldn't move. He was just in too much pain. He saw something gleaming in the man's hand and tried to get up again. He fought and fought and finally managed to get to one knee. The man pushed him to his back again and brought something down hard. Right above his heart. A knife. It plunged deep.

Shuichi couldn't even cry anymore. His tongue refused to work. The man stabbed him one more time, this time in his gut.

On the brink of passing out, with his hands still cuffed behind his back, he felt the man lift him up. He heard some shuffling and what sounded like a garage door opening.

"Sorry kid, I didn't want to do this, but it was either my life or yours. Quit searching for what they want or you're dead. There's a town five miles north from here. Good luck."

The man threw him off the train. _Nooo! I have to get Kyoto! MAIKO!_

He hit the ground hard and felt the bones in his right arm shatter. He rolled and rolled in the cold snow and everything went black.

-x-

He could smell blood. It was fresh. It wasn't far. It was perfect timing.

The pure white wolf ran with his siblings through the cold, snowy forest in search of a meal. It was their turn to hunt for the rest of the pack and they'd make well on their duty.

Using his heightened senses to follow the scent of blood, he ran faster. His brother and sister close behind; they could smell it as well. They were getting closer. They finally got to an open clearing. The smell of fresh blood was strong. Whatever injured animal there was would see its last day.

The white wolf could make out a small lithe form 100 feet away. It looked like a young woman. He came to a sudden halt, his siblings halting behind him as well.

He turned around and gave a silent command to his siblings to stay back. He would investigate first.

Moving forward he saw a young man with his hands cuffed behind his back. The boy was unconscious and bleeding profusely. He couldn't even see what his face looked like, there was so much blood.

His brother and sister approached and began circling the body. This definitely wasn't what they anticipated. They couldn't take a human as a meal, they needed animal meat. His sister, a beautiful dark scarlet brown wolf, came forward.

_Let's go, brother. We'll hunt somewhere else._

His brother, the black as the night wolf, came forward as well.

_What about the human? I can feel he's alive. He's been beaten and stabbed._

The white wolf didn't notice that the boy had been stabbed, but when he looked again, he could see the slits in his shirt and the blood pouring from the wounds. His brother was right.

_We leave him. Humans aren't our problem. We need to find food for the pack. Come, brothers! We leave now._

He didn't argue. She was right. Humans weren't their problem. But as he looked down at that fragile lithe form, he felt something needed to be done.

_Brother! Come. Leave it be. We hunt!_

Reluctantly, he turned and began running with his siblings again. They went in search for food once more.

-x-x-

*Shu-chan - Chan is a diminutive suffix; it expresses that the speaker finds a person endearing. Thus, using chan with a superior's name would be condescending and rude.

*Caboose – The last car on a train. Was used for the employees. Now, it's just usually empty or used for storage.

Oh, I totally have an idea for the next part. Woot! Please, review? Thanks!


	3. Refuge

A/N: Sorry for the _long_ wait. I usually don't update until I'm completely satisfied with what I write. I admit, I'm not the best writer, so I ended up having to change this chapter at least four or five times until I got it just the way I wanted it... sort of. I'm still not totally thrilled with it, but what am I to do? This is usually how I update, so I apologize for future tardiness. There will be a lot of it. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the newest chapter and hopefully it will make you want to come back for more. Enjoy!

Warning: Suggestive content, foul language.

Rating: It's now rated M.

I don't have a beta reader. Sorry for any errors you may notice.

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His mind was a jumble of images flashing from one horrible scene to another. Shuichi groaned and pushed the dreadful dreams away. Weariness weighted him down to the cold, hard surface he was on. Where was he? And why was it so cold?

Opening one eye, the brightness of his surroundings glared, sending sharp pains to his head. Realization shocked him fully awake. He blinked against the brightness and snow and trees enclosed around him, trying to place it all.

Pain suddenly enveloped his whole body and he groaned again. The memories, the beating. It all came rushing back. Those weren't dreams he pushed away. _I-I was beaten… thrown off of the train. I was left for dead!_ That recognition planted fear in the young singer.

Deciding it'd be a good idea to get up and find help, he slowly inched his way up and found the task a bit difficult since his hands were still cuffed, and practically frozen, behind his back. He managed to lift with his right elbow, but a sharp pain went straight through that arm, forcing him to fall back to the snowy ground. He hissed in pain. _Oh yeah, definitely broken._

Trying again, this time with his good arm, he achieved getting to his sore knees. Iciness from the snow traveled through his body as pain seared through his ribs. _A few of those must be broken, too._ He thought. Deciding a quick breather was in order to prevent from fainting, he stilled all movements. He knew that if he didn't, the fainting would surely happen.

Taking in the ambiance, he noticed he was in a small clearing surrounded with snow and trees. The openings to the forest and trails were narrow and spooky. He could tell that they just led to more snow and trees. An endless path to what, he didn't know. A small yellow bird with black stripes nestled quietly on the branch of a tree nearest him. A small pair of eyes belonging to said bird flickered over Shuichi, giving him pause. The perusal was quick, but thorough. The damned bird was mocking him. The feathered creature looked away and made a cooing and cackling sound. Shuichi grimaced. Now *Tweety was laughing at him. Realizing that he was focused on the habitual actions of a silly bird, he averted his attention elsewhere. He noticed train tracks in front of him not too far away, snowflakes falling from the vivid white sky slowly covering the black rails. _What a horrible experience for such a beautiful day._

After a few minutes of useless gaping, he managed to stand on his shaky legs. He immediately regretted his action. The forest spun, dizziness overwhelming him. He took a few steps forward to lean against the rough surface of the bird's tree, his knees nearly buckling. His cry echoed through the cold snowy forest. Tweety flew away.

Closing his eyes and breathing heavily, he decided to wait another few moments before he tried walking again. He'd been stabbed, his bones were broken, his body was freezing, and blood still seeped from his open wounds. To sum it all up, he felt like shit. _Pull yourself together, Shuichi. Get help. _Once he felt more confident on his feet, he pushed away from the trunk and braced himself. Just in case his knees _did _buckle this time.

Trying to recall exactly what had happened on the train, he remembered the words the man had said before he was forced to take flight. Shuichi chuckled at his pitiful pun and groaned in regret. This seriously wasn't the time to be joking.

The man had told him that there was a town north of here. Why his would-be killer felt the need to tell Shuichi that fact was beyond him, but Shuichi was eternally grateful that he had. _Exactly which way is north though? It isn't dark, so the North Star can't help me. And I have no idea how to figure it out another way. Looks like I just have to wing it._

Trying the best he could to wipe his still half-bloodied-half-dried face with his left shoulder, he started his hike. The first step was agony, but he moved on. He only wished that he was going in the right direction… and wouldn't black out again.

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"What do you mean, 'He's gone,'?"

She sat in silence for a moment as her boss's angry words came through the phone. She was on the train heading towards Kyoto. It was the same train that Shuichi Shindou had boarded, but suddenly disappeared from. She had direct orders to keep an eye on the burgundy haired kid to make sure he followed through on his instructions, but what she hadn't anticipated was Shuichi vanishing. Letting out a sigh she explained what she assumed had happened.

"I was following him as you asked, sir. It was only an hour in before some man came up to him saying something about his ticket and had him follow him out. I thought nothing of it, thinking that there was merely a slight mix-up, but the man came back alone. When I went in search of Shindou, well, um, I saw blood on the wall and floor of the caboose. I also found his destroyed cell phone. I've searched every other car. I even climbed out and checked overhead. He's just… gone. " She inhaled roughly for air. She hadn't realized that she'd stopped breathing completely to give that scary, yet dreadful explanation.

"Son of a--- god, damn it! Find the man that escorted him out! Find out what happened. If he was thrown off the train, there's no telling where he could be! Without Shindou, this whole thing it useless! I should kill you for this! "

She cringed at those screeching and threatening words, but quickly brushed them off. Her boss always yelled and threatened, but she knew he'd never really follow through on them. All talk and no bite. At least not to her. She decided to humor him out of respect, "I-I'm sorry, sir. I didn't know this would happen. But who else knows about this? Why would they throw Shindou off the train?"

"I don't know who else knows about this, but I plan for you to find out."

Wasn't that always the way? He always finding someone else to do his dirty work? She actually chuckled in her head. Well… at least he paid her good money. That's all that really mattered to her. The cash. "What about the girl, sir? Why do you even need Shindou?"

The man was silent. The only indication that he was still on the line was his heavy breathing. She knew he did that on purpose. She knew that it made him feel intimidating or mean. It was all just one big power-trip to try to control his 'minions.' In all honesty, to her, he just sounded like a man that needed to get into shape. She chuckled in her head again.

When she thought he wouldn't answer, his gruff voice came through. "The blood needs to be given willingly. She already found out about what I want and why I need it. She'll never give it willingly now. That's why we need Shindou and his naiveté. Now find me some answers! "_Click_

_Right. Answers. Must get answers._ She reverted back to the matter at hand. She needed to find a famous singer. Quickly putting her cell phone away, she muttered to herself, "Yay. Great. Hear my enthusiasm." Sarcasm dripped from her words which caught the attention of fellow passengers. A couple of them stared while others quickly looked away when they realized she'd caught them looking. _They must think they're riding with a crazy chick that talks to herself._ They weren't far off the mark because… she _was_ talking to herself. The woman couldn't help but chuckle again; this time out loud. That only resulted in more stares. All she could do was glare back.

"Shindou, what the hell happened to you?" She got up from her seat, nearly knocking down a little girl that went rushing down the aisle. _Stupid kids, running around without a care in the world. Lucky bastards._ Turning around, she thought she got a glimpse of the man that had escorted Shindou out earlier. She headed for his direction. _Time for some answers. Oh great, I'm getting repetitive. This is going to be a long day._

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Shuichi didn't know how long he'd been walking. What had felt like hours to the singer could have only been a few minutes. The shivers and pain never left his aching body and he wasn't sure how much longer he could continue. His strength was wearing thin and he was losing a lot of blood. He forced himself to keep moving.

Overhead the sky darkened, clouds blotting out the stars one by one, spreading across the forming moon in a reddish-brown stain. The wind began to pick up around him, small at first, blowing through the trees so that the leaves rippled with life. He saw the North star and realized he was on the right track. _Thank you, Buddha! _

He stopped dead in his tracks and crouched low to the ground. He heard an usual sound, like two dogs fighting. He moved with caution… slowly, carefully. His breath caught in his throat.

Up ahead to the right were two beautiful, but deadly, gray wolves in a struggle. He wasn't sure if they were playing or fighting, but the sounds had him convinced it was the latter. The wolves moved with grace and power. A power he certainly didn't want to deal with. Taking a step back, he decided to switch directions only to stop again. There was another gray wolf very close on his left. It stood still and was staring right at Shuichi. Baring its teeth and growling low in his throat, the wolf inched toward Shuichi in full attack mode. This couldn't be good.

"N-n-nice w-wolfy," Shuichi said, taking another slow step back.

Bad move. The other two wolves stopped their quarrel and turned their full attention on him. They too began to inch forward with a growl. _Well. Just. Great._ _It's meal time for the predators and I'm the prey!_

Shuichi froze and saw two more gray wolves come out of nowhere. That added up to five now. _Double great._ They had him surrounded. _Run? Stay? Play dead? Didn't that only work for bears? There's only five of 'em. I can take them. HA! They'd rip me to shreds! I'm a goner._

Before he could even consider his options, they attacked.

Shuichi turned on his heel to run, but the closest wolf took him down hard by his cuffed arm. Shuichi screamed. _This is so unfair! _Another wolf clawed and bit at his leg while two others pulled at his shirt, ripping it to pieces.

They attacked with vigor while all Shuichi could do was kick and scream. The bites hurt, his screams escalated, he was like a rag doll for them. They bit and scratched and even bit each other to fight over where to attack him next. _This time, I really am going to die._

Shuichi thought of his sister. That pain was worse than any other. He'd failed her. He should have fought harder. And damn it, people weren't kidding when they said your whole life flashes before your eyes before you die. He thought of his family, his friends, his band, even his crazy American gun-toting manager. The good times, the bad, the past, the present… no longer a future. He wanted to laugh, but sobbed instead.

One wolf nipped at his throat, breaking the skin. Shuichi coughed up blood. _Oh, gods, I'm going to drown in my own blood!_

Just when the gray wolf would have fastened his jaw shut for the killing blow; a pure white wolf barged through the woods and knocked the gray wolf to the ground. The other wolves backed off of Shuichi to assail the white beauty that had attacked their comrade. His white savior would be killed.

Two more wolves appeared; one pure black, the other reddish brown. They paused and took in the scene of Shuichi and the five against one battle. They joined in on the fray. Luckily, they were on the white wolf's side. At least, that's what it looked like since they didn't go anywhere near the white one. _Good, the odds were better._

Shuichi turned on his side and spit up blood. He was breathing better for doing so, but still bled profusely. He tried getting up to run with no such luck. He glanced over to see how his saviors were doing and noticed that one of the five was down. Dead? He certainly hoped so. Another of the five fell at the white wolf's paws, immobile. Dead. Good. It was three against three now. The fight didn't last. Right before his white savior could attack another of the five, the gray wolves retreated. They ran through the forest, yipping and yapping, not looking back.

There was actual silence in the snowy forest when the gray wolves finally disappeared. Shuichi stopped crying, wondering when exactly he had started to in the first place. His saviors turned toward him and stared. _Oh, no! What if they were only fighting for the food? Fighting to claim me as their meal? How crazy was I to think that wild wolves would save me?_

Before he could contemplate any of those gruesome thoughts, the pure white wolf began to shimmer and glow. He rose up on hind legs and looked to be shifting? Shifting into a man? _Oh, yeah… I am definitely hallucinating. No more watching TV for me. Or getting the crap beat out of me._

It was all very comical really. Shuichi laughed. Here he was on the verge of death and he saw his white savior -he really should find a better nickname- shift into a man. A very handsome man at that. More like the hottest of hot. _Oh, yeah, straight to crazy town for one Shuichi Shindou._ The shape shifting wolf human was tall with blond hair and piercing gold eyes. He was gorgeous! His jaw was strong and defined, his cheekbones high. His face was elegantly boned, and he had just the tiniest hint of a cleft in his chin. He had the best looking lips Shuichi had seen. Full and expressive, that mouth had been made for long, hot kisses. Oh baby, this man possessed a rare masculine beauty. Shuichi ran his gaze over the blond's lean, muscular body. His breath faltered. This handsome body was like coiled steel. He was all lithe, strong power. There was a small trail of hair below his belly button which led to…

Before his gaze could travel any lower, clothes suddenly appeared on the stunning body. _Yummy, he looks just as sexy with those dark clothes._ The other two wolves began to shimmer and glow as well but Shuichi was paying no heed to them. His focus was on the former white wolf now turned drop-dead gorgeous!

_Wow, I had no idea I was gay. _

Everything went black.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Eiri Uesugi quickly shifted to human form and manifested clothes. He turned and saw his brother, Tatsuha, the black wolf, shift and manifest clothes as well. Once done, they both turned away from their sister, Mika, the brown wolf, so she could do the same in privacy. That was the one con of being able to shift; it had to be done bare.

"I'm dressed. You two can turn back now."

Eiri walked to the unconscious boy that they had left behind earlier. He kneeled down and checked for a pulse. It was faint. He was alive, but he wouldn't be for long.

"I have to take him to Tohma to heal him. It's the only way he'll live." His sister roughly pulled Eiri to his feet. He staggered back but quickly righted himself again. Her strength always kind of creeped him out a bit.

"Eiri, what is wrong with you? We can't-"

"He's going to die, Mika," he spat. Leaning down again, he picked the kid up bridal style, not surprised at how light the boy was. Before his siblings could protest; Eiri teleported to his sister's mate's house. Specifically, the living room.

Looking around and finding the annoyingly extravagant place empty, he yelled, "TOHMA!"

His brother-in-law came rushing in from the kitchen looking ready for a battle; if any. "Oh, it's you. What's wrong? Who's that?"

Eiri carefully laid the kid on Tohma's black leather couch, adjusting his head so the position would be more comfortable. He did the same for his cuffed arms.

Abruptly, Eiri pulled back. _Why the hell did I just done that? Why was he doing any of this for that matter?_ _I never help anybody. I hate people. It just isn't something I do. But there's just something about the kid that -_ -

Tohma gasped in horror as he approached the couch. "Is this the man you left behind not too long ago?"

Eiri lost his train of thought and noticed that Tohma's face had gone pale. Tohma also wouldn't take his eyes off of the dying kid. "Yes. I didn't know the *Wolf-regs would attack, but they did. He was pretty bad before this, but… well, you have-"

Before he could even finish, Tohma kneeled down and placed his hands over the kid's chest. He began chanting under his breath. Tohma started his healing thing. That muttering chant was something Eiri could never really make out when Tohma did it. He always wondered what exactly his brother-in-law was saying when he did it. _Whatever. That's not important._ Glancing from the kid to Tohma, his sister's husband was still pale. "Uh, Tohma? What the hell is wrong with you?"

"What the hell is wrong with me? This is Shuichi Shindou, Eiri! That's what the hell is wrong with me! He's my top vocalist for the top band, Bad Luck! I can't let him die. You should have brought him to me immediately after finding him the first time! What were you thinking?"

Oh for crying out loud! He was either getting yelled out for saving the kid or leaving the kid. Could he ever please his pathetic family? "Don't give me any lip, Tohma. It was your fucking wife that insisted we leave him. She's still miffed about me intervening on the wolves that attacked him!"

Tohma sighed. "I apologize, Eiri. I had no right to yell at you. I'm just afraid of losing my top singer. I'm glad you brought him here, even with Mika's disapproval. Thank you."

"Whatever," he replied. Tohma began to chant again.

Eiri glanced back at the kid, Shuichi, and saw his wounds closing. It sure was a sight to watch. The deep cut on his right cheek and the bruises and swelling on the other disappeared. His broken nose straightened back in place while the stab wounds on his chest closed completely. The bite marks on his legs, chest, and neck disappeared as well just leaving the dry blood behind. Shuichi moaned but didn't wake up.

_It must hurt just as bad as it did when having it broken._ The boy's lips were no longer purple from the cold and some color was coming back to his skin. Eiri saw Shuichi's right arm and winced. It looked like bugs were crawling around inside, but knew that it was just the bones mending back together. Shuichi gave out a rather loud groan to that one, but slept on. The 'bugs' moved on to Shuichi's ribs and Eiri instantly felt bad for him.

_Broken ribs, too? Christ, what the hell happened to you? I'll kill the bastard that did—_Whoa, where had that thought come from? Eiri didn't defend people. He didn't do anything that involved people. He could give two shits about people! He especially didn't defend someone he didn't even know. His sister's earlier question was dead on. What the hell was wrong with him?

Shuichi gasped out of his sleep and felt immensely better. He was in a warm place, on a soft surface, and he felt totally refreshed. He glanced up and saw a ceiling which held a very elegant chandelier. The dim lights were perfect for the atmosphere and he felt safe. _Oh, thank goodness! It was all a horrible dream!_

"Actually, no, it wasn't."

That deep lovely voice startled him and he glanced around to find the source of it. The drop-dead gorgeous hunk from earlier was there again, along with… _oh my god!_ "Mr. Seguchi!" He quickly sat up and noticed that his hands were still cuffed behind his back. He adjusted his position and was doubly confused about the situation. He didn't even know what to say. _Why am I not hurt anymore, but still have my hands cuffed behind my back? And why is the beautiful hottie with my boss?_

Eiri smirked, "Beautiful hottie?"

Shuichi cringed. _Had he said that out loud? Obviously he did since the aforementioned beautiful hottie replied to his embarrassing statement._ He decided to let it go and change the subject. _Hopefully the beaut-, uh, I mean, the guy won't press on the issue._ "Um, how did I get here? And why am I cuffed?"

His boss began to answer while the hunk in black stood practically in the shadows. If there were any. "Eiri brought you here, Shindou. We were hoping you could explain the hand cuffs."

_Okay, think Shuichi. What happened today?_ Shuichi replayed his whole day, if it was a day and not a dream, through his head. The phone call, the threats of his sister, the pay phone, the train, the beating, the fly off the train, the attack of the wolves. He was wondering where he should even begin. And why was he suddenly healed? There was still blood on him, he could feel it drying in some places, but--"I see blood on me, but I have no wounds. I remember having—how is that possible? I can't—what happened--"

"Ah, fuck!"

Tohma turned to Eiri and instantly knew that he'd seen what had happened to the vocalist. "Eiri, what did you see? Shindou is obviously in shock. What happened to him?"

Eiri turned to Tohma and placed his hand over Tohma's eyes. "Here, I'll show you." Right away, all the images and memories that Shuichi had accidentally projected to Eiri were now being projected to Tohma. That's how it was for Eiri's pack. Each wolf had their own ability. His was being able to read minds and see the images and/or memories that would go through the heads of others. In turn, he'd be able to send his thoughts and memories to people as well. Only if he wanted to that is. Tohma's ability, of course, was healing.

Tohma stumbled away from Eiri's hand once he'd seen enough. He looked furious. "Someone took Maiko, threatened my singer, beat the hell out of him, threw him off a train, left him for dead in the freezing cold—"

"Yeah, I know, Tohma. I kind of saw all that before you did."

"And worse! He was attacked by Wolf-regs! This is unacceptable! I swear to Buddha himself, I'm going to get to the bottom of this and kill every last person that even remotely glanced at my vocalist!"

Shuichi glanced from his white savior to—_Oh god! White savior! I saw that wolf shift. Shift from wolf to the hunk of a man standing in front of me! And they both suddenly know everything that happened to me before I even said anything! I know I didn't speak out loud this time either. That was my white savior reading my mind!_

Eiri smirked at Shuichi's jumbled up thoughts. Shuichi was debating with himself whether all of this was really happening or not. He actually looked kind of cute, sitting there all confused and what not.

_Whoa… cute?_ _Nobody is cute to me._ "White savior?" Eiri smirked.

Shuichi groaned. "I knew it! You are reading my mind. Get out of my head! How is any of this possible? I know I had a broken nose, arm, and ribs. I was cut on my face. I was bit all over. I was stabbed twice! Why do I feel nothing now? I know it wasn't a dream. I have dry blood everywhere. Yay, I feel better, but how? And how can you read my mind? You're a freaking wolf! I saw you shift! And get these things off me! Tell me this isn't true and it's all one big nightmare. Pinch me, please. Just pinch me. I need to wake up!"

Tohma stood stoic and said nothing. Eiri shrugged and reached out. He pinched Shuichi hard on his left arm. Shuichi squealed. "OUCH! What was that for?"

Eiri rolled his eyes. "You told me to, punk."

"Oh! You're impossible! Answer my other questions!"

Tohma turned away from both of them, making a move to vanish. Eiri glared at his back. "HEY! Where the hell do you think you're going?"

"You deal with Shindou, Eiri. I need to find out who did this to him. In the mean time, answer what he wants. He's in desperate need of a shower, so he can use mine. You'll have to find clothes for him as well." Tohma vanished. Out of thin air… just vanished. Hell, now he understood why his brother and sister hated it when he did the same to them.

Shuichi was silent, but continued to stare at Eiri. He wanted answers. Pronto! "Are you, like, some kind of werewolf or something? Ugh, I really am in crazy town to be asking that."

Eiri shook his head and sighed. It was inevitable. "I guess you could call us that, yes."

"Oh great. I've stepped into an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

"I'm not a vampire."

"Oh, right, werewolf. Sorry." Shuichi rolled his eyes. No matter how crazy this seemed, he actually found it kind of cool. He always believed in other things like aliens and ghosts and stuff. He figured since he existed, who was to say nothing else existed? It was all rather exciting for him. Rather than; I don't believe it until I see it. It was; I believe it and hope to see it! "Wait! Does that mean that vampires exist?"

Eiri ignored that question and moved on."Shape-shifter is more of a correct term for us."

_Shape-shifter? _Shuichi thought. _Did that mean that he could shift into other animals? _

"No, we can only shift into human form. We don't need the full moon to shift like werewolves do. We shift when we want. Hence… shape-shifters."

_Okay, creepy._ Shuichi was one hundred percent sure he hadn't asked that question out loud. "You're reading my mind again." Wasn't that a scary fact?

The blond sighed again and crossed his arms over his chest. "You're projecting your thoughts to me. It's kind of hard not to when you do that."

"Can all shitty-shifters read minds?" It'd be scary if they all could. Especially his boss. He'd had more than one hateful thought towards his boss in the past. Was his boss a shape-shifter as well? He only hoped—

"No. I'm the only one in my pack with that ability. And I'll let the 'shitty' comment go…for now." The vocalist sighed in relief.

Their eyes locked. No more questions asked. Shuichi wanted to blush. What a gorgeous sight! Eiri being up close and in his presence gave him a tingling sensation. It was as though a slight wind tickled over his skin, awakening all nerve endings. It raced over his chest all the way south in an overwhelming ache. An irresistible need to feel Eiri seared hot pulses to his groin. An urge to grind himself against him and feel the gorgeous blond thrust --

Eiri cleared his throat. "You need to take a shower," he said firmly.

Shuichi jerked from his daydream and looked about. _Shit._ He hoped to everything holy that the blond hadn't seen into his head at that moment. Seriously, though, what was wrong with him? He had no idea he was gay, yet he couldn't get his head out of the gutter with the man in front of him. He shifted his gaze to Eiri's face to see if the blond gave away any clues. Eiri showed nothing. "Why am I suddenly healed?" Shuichi asked.

"Tohma is one of us. We all have a unique ability. His is healing. He healed you."

Shuichi gaped at that. "So my boss _is_ a were—I mean, a shape-shifter?" Eiri nodded. "And he healed me?" He nodded again. "Wow."

"Yeah, like I said. You look and smell like shit. You need to shower."

"Oh gee, thanks, Mr. Subtle. I appreciate it."

"You're ruining the leather. We'll have to open all the windows for the stench to clear out."

"Has anyone ever told you you're an asshole?"

For some unknown reason Eiri liked baiting this kid on. He sneered. "Plenty. "

Shuichi blushed and looked down at his lap. The man in front of him was getting to him and he didn't want him to notice. "So… other than asshole, what should I call you?"

"I think you've gotten it all taken care of for me. Hunk, hottie, gorgeous man, I particularly like this one, white savior. Oh, and shitty-shifter, Mr. Subtle. " The blond smirked.

Shuichi groaned in embarrassment and lowered his head further. "I really have to block you from my head somehow. Seriously though, what's your name?" He already knew his name was Eiri from Tohma, but Eiri himself never really gave his name. Come to think of it; neither had Shuichi.

"Eiri Yuki. And you can quit with all the fantasies and pet names, punk. I don't swing that way."

Embarrassment increasing, Shuichi kept his head down. So the blond _had_ seen the daydream Shuichi envisioned earlier. His day was just getting better and better. Shuichi didn't swing that way either… until he'd laid eyes on one Yuki Eiri. How do you like them apples? Who would of thunk it? Even Shuichi himself was surprised.

"I'm Shuichi. Shuichi Shindou. Can you get me out of these hand cuffs, please?" Hand cuffs… just thinking of hand cuffs had Shuichi imagining a bed with Yuki—_NO, stop that image right there! Get out of these damned things and take a shower! A COLD one!_

Shuichi jumped up from the couch and turned his back to Yuki. He stuck his hands out as far as he could and waited. "Um… so, can you get them off?"

Eiri examined the cuffs and acted like he didn't know what to do. He was baiting the kid again with 'hmms' and 'ahhs.' He just couldn't help himself. In actuality he knew how to get them off. All he had to do was yank on both ends, and because of his strength, the chain would break. He liked making the little singer wait though.

"Urgh, can you call a lock smith or something? Or are you just gonna stand there all day and stare?"

Before Shuichi could even blink, Yuki pressed up against him, grabbed both his hands and yanked them apart. The chain snapped.

_Holy crap! _Shuichi stood there in shock until he realized what position they were in. He blushed. Yuki stood behind him, firmly pressed against his back. He held both Shuichi's arms out to his sides while his head was right above Shuichi's neck. Yuki lowered his mouth, lips almost touching Shuichi's ear. The boy closed his eyes and nearly groaned at the sensation of Yuki's hot breath across his neck. "Take a shower," Yuki said and roughly pushed him away.

_What was that? _Shuichi turned again. Now facing Yuki, he glanced down at his hands. The chain was broken, but the cuffs were still wrapped around his wrists. He'd deal with that later. Right now he needed a shower. "Um, thanks for that. W-where's the bathroom?"

Yuki pointed down a hall, "First door on your right."

"Thanks," Shuichi replied. He entered the bathroom and closed the door behind him. He undressed and stepped into the shower. Not long after turning the ice cold water on, he realized that he never really did get any answers.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-

*Tweety- I'm sure you all know Tweety Bird. It was just a silly nickname that Shuichi used as an insult to the bird.

*Wolf-regs- Non shape-shifting wolves. In other words; Real, regular wolves. Wolf-regs.

Again, really, really sorry for the long wait. It's just how I write. I don't get much inspiration to write and sometimes I forget I even have a pending story. I'll try my best to find more inspiration for future chapters.


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